


This is how it goes

by Ghost_Writer



Category: Swimming RPF
Genre: Angst, M/M, Short Drabble, fragments
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-29
Updated: 2014-06-29
Packaged: 2018-02-06 18:36:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,139
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1868136
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ghost_Writer/pseuds/Ghost_Writer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Fragments of Ryan and Michael's life</p>
            </blockquote>





	This is how it goes

_This is how it goes_ : Michael falls in love with Ryan first, because Michael is the outcast, the loser and their story follows the clichés. He falls in love with him in early 2004, when Ryan turns his head to his coach and frowns at him. Ryan doesn’t fall in love with Michael: he grows to love him, slowly, almost carefully. He didn’t love him in Athens, but he loves him in Bejing and he doesn’t know how it happened.

 _This is how it goes_ : They kiss five times before they both love each other with all their heart. Two kisses happen because of a bet in Montreal. The third kiss happens shortly after Michael arrives in the Olympic village in Bejing. He visits Ryan and when their eyes meet they know what they need to know and their lips meet before they have even greeted each other. The fourth kiss is a quick peck on Ryan’s lips, a quick “I’m sorry, I love you, I’m not sorry,” after he beats Ryan in the 200IM. The fifth...the fifth is the kiss that makes Ryan certain of the fact that he loves Michael. They know it when their lips touch and they feel it when they pull away from each other.

 _This is how it goes:_ Michael says I love you before Ryan does. It happens in Bejing, it takes Ryan by suprise.  Ryan doesn't say it back, it's not that he doesn't love Michael but he knows Michael will not believe him if he does.  Ryan says I love you in Rome, over dinner of pizza and wings.  It happens when they are alone, Michael just smiles and Ryan has never seen Michael smile so bright. 

 _This is how it goes:_ Ryan makes the first move the night after he tells Michael he loved him. Ryan being the more experienced one, but just by a fraction. It is akward and clumsy but neither mind.  The second time is better and so is the third and before they know it, they know each other's bodies better than they know their own.

 _This is how it goes:_ Michael knows Ryan fears what people might say. Michael knows it hurts Ryan that he feels like this.  He doesn't pressure him he tells him to wait until he feels ready.  Singapore of all places is where Ryan decides to stop being afraid.  He sees Michael doing a post race interview with Pieter van den Hoogenband. He walks up and asks if he could have a moment with Michael. Michael doesn't know what hits him when Ryan pulls him into a kiss not letting go until he is fully satisfied every person in the pool has seen them kiss.

 _This is how it goes_ : Michael spends weeks and months searching for the perfect ring. Once he has found the ring he just needs to find the words.  He can't and fears he never will. One night when they are playing HALO Ryan says it doesn't matter how he asks him because he will say yes no matter what. 

 _This is how it goes_ : They fight about were they should get married, Ryan wants to get married in Daytona Beach, Michael in Baltimore. They spends weeks drawing up lists with the pro's and the cons. In the end they get married in Vegas, not even planned but it feels just right.

 _This is how it goes_ :  Michael buys their first house against Ryan's wishes. Ryan makes Michael paint the master bedroom bright green and yellow. Neither get any sleep the first night and get both get headaches from the clashing colours. Ryan caves in three days later and lets Michael paint it a more neutral colour.  As payback Ryan buys them matching cars, with Mr. and Mr Lochte numberplates

 _This is how it goes_ : Ryan is the first to hold their infant son, Michael is afraid in case he drops him.  But once he has hold of him he promises never to let go.  Three years later when their daughter is born Ryan and Michael are pro at being parents.   

 _This is how it goes:_ Michael always though that Ryan would be the overbearing, embarrassing parent but it turns out he is. During their daughters first Olympic Michael wears every item of clothing with the US flag with matching Jeah glasses, embarrassing his daughter and Ryan, he doesn't care.  He never screamed more in his life than when his daughter won her first gold medal, perhaps  he screamed a bit more when she medalled gold in the Butterfly in four consecutive Olympics. 

 _This is how it goes:_ Ryan and Michael are a mess when both there kids head of to college, it is even worse when they both get married and move away. They adopt three dogs to fill the empty hole their kids left behind. But there is nothing that can fill the hole they left behind

 _This is how it goes:_  Both Michael and Ryan are in the waitingroom waiting to hear news about the birth of there first grandson.  Michael is the first to hold him, not giving Ryan a chance. He missed being the first to hold his son, he isn't missing out on being the first to hold his grandson. Four years later Ryan gets to hold their second and third grandson first. Both have Ryan's eyes and both have Michael's temperament

 _This is how it goes:_ It starts off with a weird feeling in his arm, Ryan ignores it thinks it will go away. The pain keeps getting worse but he refuses to go the doctors only after Michael begs him to go does he promise he will go in the morning.  Ryan wakes up sick to his stomach, Michael still asleep next to him. The pain in his arm gone so he decides to go down stairs letting Michael have a lie in.  He makes breakfast for him and Michael, brings in the paper and waits for Michael to wake up. Michael never does.

 _This is how it goes_ : Three days later Ryan is tyding up the attic and finds Michael's medals from Athens. He breaks down, letting himself cry for the first time since that morning. He phones his daughter asking her if she would come with him to Athens, she agrees.  Ryan can't visit the Olympic site it has been torn down decades before.  He lets his daughter take him round all the historic sites, letting himself remember how he didn't love Michael last time his was here. Regretting that he didn't love Michael back then.

 _This is how it goes_ : The morning after his return from Athens Ryan doesn't wake up. Their story followed all the clichés, even after all these years, the truth was his heart couldn't cope having to live without Michael. 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry if this had too many feels


End file.
